Vietnam Airlines welcomes 20 millionth passenger

Hanoi (VNA) – The
national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines welcomed the 20 millionth
passenger aboard the 700,000th flight this year operated by the
Vietnam Air Traffic Management Corporation (VATM) during a ceremony in Hanoi on
December 7.

The lucky passenger is Mamoru
Kato from Japan, the 19,999,999th is Oda Junichi from Japan and the
20,000,001th is Nguyen Thi Thanh Thuy from Vietnam, who were aboard the flight
from Japan’s Narita to Hanoi.

Speaking at the event, Deputy
Transport Minister Nguyen Nhat urged Vietnam Airlines and the VATM to ensure
the absolute safety of their flights, modernise equipment and improve the workforce
quality, towards becoming one of the leading flight suppliers in Southeast Asia
and one of the most popular carriers in Asia-Pacific.

This year, Vietnam Airlines is
expected to transport 20.6 million passengers and successfully operate new
fleets Boeing 787-9 and Airbus A350.

The carrier was also certified as
a four-star airline by the UK-based airline and airport rating organisation SkyTrax
and welcomed Japan’s ANA Holdings as its strategic shareholder.

The VATM estimates to operate
more than 742,000 flights this year, up 16 percent from 2015./.